Sixth-Man Turner Ready to Return

Jarvis Turner, USC’s sixth man who has missed the last seven games while recovering from a broken bone in his left foot, will be available for the Trojans’ Pacific 10 Conference opener against Washington State on Thursday, Coach Henry Bibby said Tuesday.

Bibby is happy to get back his lone senior, who has participated in three practices, but said it’s too soon to tell how much rust Turner has to remove.

“We’ll probably play him in spurts,” Bibby said. “How effective he is on the floor will determine how much he plays.

“He’s running and moving OK. But he’s not in game shape.”

Turner has played in three games this season, averaging 1.2 points and 2.3 rebounds.

His return is aptly timed because the Trojans could be without freshman guard Nate Hair, one of the few reserves Bibby has been playing. Hair has had flu and has not practiced.

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The Cougars will host Thursday night’s game in Spokane instead of Friel Court on the campus in Pullman, Wash.

One reason could be Washington State’s inability to draw fans at Friel Court. The Cougars’ average crowd for five home dates is 3,192.

Only one Pac-10 team is drawing worse. USC has averaged 2,389 in four home dates.